Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Stuff

I am still trying to reorganize my house since we got everything home from storage. It is much more of a challenge than I bargained for especially since our house has neither an attic or a basement to store anything.

I am almost done but am left with several piles of things that I am hopelessly stuck in finding room for. Here is an example. Grandma Mast used to save all her old calendars and turn them into scrapbooks. Each of her grandchildren got one on their ninth birthday. I don't want to throw it away and still haven't found a place to keep it. So it lays on a pile of things that are in the same predicament.

Joining the scrapbook on that pile is a "3 piece chicken dinner" that one of my brothers made and gave to me on one of my birthdays. It is a cute wooden box with a swivel open lid when opened reveals three kernels of corn that would make any chicken happy to have for dinner.

There are lots of other things too, among which is a large grotesque mirror. Someone gave it to us shortly after we were married and thought it was really great. It has the state of Pennsylvania painted on it and green and brown roses and a verse that must have come out of a Hallmark sympathy card. This mirror is sturdy and simply refuses to accidentally break although it has been given numerous opportunities to do so. I can't send it with the garbage truck tomorrow morning because the person who gave it asks about occasionally and would be hurt to know how much we hate it. So what do I do with it?

And then comes this type of thing. A book of poetry. You know, Emerson, Tennyson, Milton, Browning and all those good old poets. But I never read it and yet I don't like the idea of heartlessly stuffing it in the trash. Do I need to be brave and pitch it or is there someone out there who would enjoy it?

The same with these A Cappella CD's. They are new but I really don't want them.

And then I find a box of close to 100 old children's books. They appear to be unread and are still beautiful but I really have no use for them either.

If I go to another room I'm greeted with patterns, fabrics, and other sewing supplies that I don't need and will probably never use. So this is where all of you come in. What should I do with everything? I'll hang on to the sentimental things. But the other things...... do I heartlessly throw them away, or do I have several giveaways, or would nobody else be interested in these things either?

And any advice that aids in the demise of the mirror would be deeply appreciated.

33 comments:

I to know how hard it is to find a place for things around the house especially since the kids came along. Do you have a hope chest that you could store all of those sweet treasures that you have from your grand mother ~ her scrapbook is sooo sweet!!! and your family? I would put them in something like that. Are you children interested in reading the books? I would let them read them if they want to. You could do a giveaway or you could donate them to Goodwill. You could set up a table outside your house with any and all things that you no longer want and either sell them in a yardsale or put a sign that says free on it and people will stop by and take it all away! lol

Now for that scary sounding mirror. What to do with that? I have pictures that I no longer use hanging in my closet. lol I love them but they don't fit anywhere in my house now. You could hang it in the closet so you husband could use it to put on his tie if he wears one that is. haha

I wish that I only needed to find a place for smaller things. I have a tv cabinet that I have tried to give away and can't find any takers. It is real wood and beautiful but our new tv doesn't fit in it. I also have a huge picture with magnolias on it. Those large items have got to go but they are too large for me to put in the front yard and put free on them. lol

Don't know much about most of the items, but little Golden Books are worth a pretty penny now. You should try to sell them....check out thrift stores and antique shops and see!Those books look like they are in good shape..

I know what you mean about just needing to get rid of some stuff. Stuff takes up room , has to be maintained, and for what purpose if it is of no value to those who occupy the same home as all of it.Dust, rust and moth eaten in a short enough time.

Having downsized I know what you're faced with. I like Angela's idea about hanging pictures in a closet. Is there anything you can put in bathroom/toilet? Most of my unwanted goodies went to a charity shop. Good luck with everything!

Many libraries have used book sales and would love the books. The rest could be donated to a thrift shop run by a charity so they can make a little money for a good cause and maybe that will help you feel better about giving them away.

ebay for the children's books and probably a lot of other things as well. Turn your cast offs into money for something special. I'm facing the same thing...trying to turn my house back into a home. The renovation goes Slowly but it goes so that's a good thing.

Never throw away those books. I love those old children's books, and so do many others. You could sell your items in a garage sale or ebay, or have a giveaway here as then people comment on just what they like, so the items would go to someone that wants them. The mirror? Goodwill it!It is nice to get rid of stuff occasionally so you have room to collect more stuff!

I am definitely at the de-cluttering stage of my life!! I absolutely adore old children's books though and would instantly send you a check to cover postage if you want to get rid of those. I just love your honesty - especially about the religious CDs! We had a collection at church and I put in a video tape of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" and kind of felt guilty when one of the nuns saw me. Hey, I love the Lord and a lot of movies about him, but that one really wasn't the "Greatest"!! What can I say??

I know you're in the country so it's probably harder to find a Goodwill store or some-such thing. Maybe you could google "Donation pick up" and your town's name and see if anything pops up so you don't have to drag it all somewhere. Good luck and let me know about the books. Have a good day ~ :)

Do you have Freecycle in your area? It's a national program, just Google "Freecycle." People post things they have to give away, such as old aluminum storm doors, and other people claim them and come to pick them up for free. I would LOVE to have the CDs, though. I love a cappella singing, and I sing with a bunch of Amish friends. I could reimburse the shipping, or make a donation to a charity you choose!

Do you have Freecycle in your area? It's a national program, just Google "Freecycle." People post things they have to give away, such as old aluminum storm doors, and other people claim them and come to pick them up for free. I would LOVE to have the CDs, though. I love a cappella singing, and I sing with a bunch of Amish friends. I could reimburse the shipping, or make a donation to a charity you choose!

About the cd's- I have them too, and some of the sermons. It would make me happy if we could figure out a place to send them to or someone who wants them. That mirror- Oh we have some colorful gifts, too. You could advertise it on craig's list and see if anyone will buy it off of you. Or give it away on freecycle. And when the giver asks you simply tell them the truth, that it is now blessing someone who needed it even more than you did. That should make everyone feel good. ;-) Finally, when I first started working at the library, I discovered that a lot of the old children's books our library was discarding were worth quite a bit. Sell them on Amazon or ebay.

Heidi would tell you to hang the mirrorin your garden. She has one outside and loves it. Do you have Little Black Sambo? I am hunting that book and would gladly buy it from you. I hope you don't throw them away. The book of poetry also, I would buy that from you for Heidi. She loves books like that one.Let me know.Nancy

You could hold giveaways but by the sounds of it, there is too much for that. I do hold giveaways for my fabrics as you know. That is how you found me. A garage or yard sale would be a good idea. It would also help bring in a little money for those items that you no longer use. And my mother told you about putting the mirror outdoors. Be sure you have plants growing around it so it mixes in with the garden. Mine is a bit overgrown at the moment and needs a little trimming so I can see the mirror again.

Heidi

P.S. - I am glad you enjoyed reading the blog entry I did about Menno Simons on my old blog.

I will take the childrens books...and pay the postage for mailing them...but you could also sell them on Craigslist or some such on Google...and if you know someone who has just married..let them have the mirror...and tell whoever gave it to you that you passed it along to someone else...as you really didn't have the need for it anymore...LOL..and about that "chicken dinner"...LOLOL...amazing!!!! hugs from Kentucky....Ora

I am going to start with the mirror. You may have just informed the family member that you hate the mirror. :)

I see somebody has already asked for the children's books. I was thinking somebody would like them. If not, I am sure the local food pantry or clothes closet could give one to each person that comes in until they are gone.

I don't think any of what you have should be thrown away, but given to charity in some manner.

The mirror found a place behind some other things in a closet. It doesn't really work to sell it because it is personalized. All the handpainting of flowers and verse is right across the face of the mirror. It just dawned on me that I could try a strong cleaner of some kind and see if it removes all of the paint or at least damages it enough that no one would expect me to display it any longer. And the people that gave it to us and all their friends don't have internet so I don't think I'm running in as much danger of them finding out from that source as I am in my children saying something about it.

I had my husband, Dirt, build me a little show case that is bar height and doubles as a serving surface when we need it. It is along one wall of my kitchen, most folks come in through my kitchen so it is kind of an entry way thing I suppose. I rotate treasures inside the case.

I'd say Ebay some of those things or even Craig's list if you don't have objection to those sorts of things.

I've been wishing I could remember the name of one of my favorite children's books. It was about a duck (could possibly have been a chicken) who is either living or taking a holiday at the seaside and walks along a boardwalk and enjoys salt water taffy. More and more images have been coming to my mind over the last couple of days about that book. I would pay a pretty penny for that book. Maybe your collection has similar books from someone else's childhood.

You should see if there is a freecycle program in your area. At freecycle.org you can post things that you are wanting to get rid of and people will come pick them up. It's a way of keeping stuff out of the landfills, but also making someone's day by finding a treasure for cheap.

Whatever you do, don't throw away the poetry book. I'd be willing to take it off your hands.